The Londoner

By Zaheerul Hassan On every June 6, Sikhs carry out the protest world over against the state brutality of India in June 1984 in which military attacked on the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and 38 other Sikh temples throughout Punjab.Over 20,000 Sikhs were murdered in these attacks.The President of the Council of Sikhs has also planned a protest against India's testing of nuclear weapons and its deployment of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in Punjab thus putting the lives of the Sikh Nation in grave risk. Before discussing the title further, let’s memorize the tragic slaughter which took place on June 4th, 5th and 6th of 1984 in the premises of the Golden Temple and Akal Takht. The Indian Army, under orders from Indira Gandhi government, without warning,assaulted the walls with heavy artillery, tanks, Howtziwer guns, and other mechanised weapons. Surprisingly, the attack coincided with the religious celebrations on the occasion of the birthd...

Three Sikh bodies have formed a base in the region in a bid to launch attacks in Punjab, police said on Friday. Three militants belonging to them were recently arrested. During interrogation, they said about 40 people have formed three outfits -- Khalistan Zindabad Force, Panj Pardhani Group and Iknoor Khalsa Fauj -- with their base in Barnala. Police got hold of Malikeet Singh, Surjeet Singh and Harbans Singh on Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch highway and recovered one AK rifle, five pistols and some ammunition. Police sources told PTI that the Panj Pardhani Group was formed after Malkeet Singh was released from a Patiala jail in January after 10 months. Some of the group members were earlier afiliated with Khalsa Dal.

Balochistan, or Baluchistan, is a province in Pakistan, the largest in the country by geographical area. It contains most of the historical region of Balochistan and is named after the Baloch. Its neighbouring regions are Iranian Balochistan to the west, Afghanistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to the north and Punjab and Sindh to the east. To the south is the Arabian Sea. The principal languages in the province are Baluchi, Brahui, Sindhi and Pashto. The capital and largest city is Quetta. Balochistan is believed to be rich in mineral resources. It is the second major, after Sindh, supplier of natural gas to the country. Balochistan is located at the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau and in the border region between Southwest, Central, and South Asia. It is geographically the largest of the four provinces at 347,190 km² or (134,051 square miles) of Pakistani territory; and composes 48% of the total land area of Pakistan. The population density is very low due to the m...

My visit to Kashmir last week was overshadowed by that of a rather more illustrious visitor, the Indian president. During what was supposed to be a routine trip, President Pratibha Patil was greeted with a general strike, as well as clashes with troops in the state capital, Srinagar. "We want to convey to the Indian president that the Kashmiri people are against the Indian occupation of Kashmir," said Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chief of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. While relatively low-key, these protests should serve as another warning to India not to ignore the will of the Kashmiri people, who have for too long found themselves caught in the crossfire of the two regional powers, India and Pakistan. In 1947, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) had a Muslim majority, which - according to the standards of partition - meant it should have become part of Pakistan. However, the Hindu Maharaja decided - in the face of a potential Pakistani onslaught - to choose India. As a result, J...

Balochistan, or Baluchistan, (Balochi, Brahui, Sindhi, Pashto, Urdu: بلوچستان) is a province in Pakistan, the largest in the country by geographical area. It contains most of the historical region of Balochistan and is named after the Baloch. Its neighbouring regions are Iranian Balochistan to the west, Afghanistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to the north and Punjab and Sindh to the east. To the south is the Arabian Sea. The principal languages in the province are Baluchi, Brahui,Sindhi and Pashto. The capital and largest city is Quetta. Balochistan is believed to be rich in mineral resources. It is the second major, after Sindh, supplier of natural gas to the country. Balochistan is located at the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau and in the border region between Southwest, Central, and South Asia. It is geographically the largest of the four provinces at 347,190 km² or (134,051 square miles) of Pakistani territory; and composes 48% of the total land area of Pakistan...

In yet another indication that there are serious efforts to revive Khalistan movement in North America, a group of disgruntled Sikhs held demonstrations in cities across the United States and Canada on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. Candle light vigils in Gurudwaras on Friday and a series of meetings in about a dozen cities have been planned during the next few days including one outside the Indian Consulate in Toronto. These Sikhs recently have participated in various Baisakhi Day parades raising slogans of Khalistan, carrying its banners and delivering speeches on independence of Sikhs in Toronto, Vancouver, New York and San Francisco. ''We are for a peaceful solution to this problem through negotiation, through the will of the people,'' Dr Amarjit Singh, of the Washington-based Khalistan Affairs Centre, said. Singh lead a peaceful protest of about three-dozen Sikhs including a dozen women and a couple of children outside the UN headquart...